Improvement in tongue-and-groove joints



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anni sale RICHARD BARTONyOF NEW YORK, Y.

Letters Patent No. 113,835, dated April 18, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT IN TONGUE-ND-GROOVE JOINTS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Petet and making part' of the same.

To all whom it 'may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD BARTON, of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Tongueand-Groove Joints, of which the following is a speciiication, reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

My invention consistsiu so forming the tongue and groove used in matching boards or similar wood-work in such a manner that the tongue, when properly inserted in the groove, shall be locked therein, thus holding the parts rmly together and preventing them from drawing apart or separating while in position, as hereinafter more fully explained.

Figure 1 represents a piece having the groove formed therein, shown in perspective;

Figure 2, a similar view of a piece having the tongue formed thereon;

Figure 3 is an end view of the two pieces united; and, l

Figure 4 is a view showing the application of my improvement in securing moldings, beading, 85e.

In the ordinary method of matching flooring and similar wood-work a rectangular groove is cut in the edge of one piece and a corresponding tongue formed on the edge of the adjoining piece.

A When thus made the tongue is to be entered in the groove, when the two pieces are arranged in the same plane, the tongue being crowded or driven -straight into the groove.

It is obvious that with suoli a joint there is nothing to prevent the parts from being separated except the friction ot' the tongue against the sides .of the groove, and that the tongue and groove have no tendency to closeathe joint by drawing the pieces closely against each other.

My invention has for its object the formation of a joint which shall be self-tightening, and which shall also form al lock, whereby the parts', when united, shall be held securely in place and preventedfrom being drawn apart or opening at the joint.

To accomplish this object I make the tongue D in the form of a hook, asshown in iig. l2, this tongue beformed on one side of a dovetail form, and on the other inclined and slightly rounded, as shown in figs. 2 and 3.

The groove is made of acorresponding fornithat is to say, it is the exact counterpart of the tongue D,- tbis groove C being Irepresented in fig. 1.

When the-tongue and groove are thus formed and the parts are united, as shown in iig. 3, it willbe seen that the tongue D locks into the groove O in such a manner-that the pieces are firmly securedA each to the other.

In uniting the pieces the piece A, or that having the groove Cin it, is first secured in place, and then the piece B is placed alongside of it, inclined at its' rear edge, so as to permit the tongue Dto enter the groove C when the piece B is crowded againstthe piece A,the piece B being brought down on a level or in the same plane with the piece A at the same time.

It will be seen that in doing this the tongue D will hook into the groove O and tend to assist in drawing the two pieces snugly together, thus making a very close and firm joint. The most obvious application of this join't is in flooring, wainscoting, and similar work; but it is obvious, also, that it may be applied in a great variety of' styles lof wood-work, in cabinet-ware,.and in the application l of moldings, trimmings, 85o., as illustrated in Iig. 4, where it is shown applied to the union of the bodypieces I, and also tothe securing of the moldings and ornamental pieces a thereon.

In dooring and all similar work it is obvious that with tongue and groove formed in this way there is much less danger of splitting oli the tongue when the board is being forced into place than with the ordinary style, because the inclination is such that it permits the board to be turned or crowded down into positionwithout strainingthe tongue or groove.

Thisform of tongue Vand groove vcan be made by machinery the same as the ordinary style, it only being necessary to change the form of the cutters and to have the board presented to them at the required angle.

In making this joint by hand-tools an extra tool will be required to complete the groove, by cutting under, the hook to t into, and also to finish the under-cut side ofthe hook in the same manner. j

The joint thus formed is very simple, and exceedingly eflicient and useful in nearly all kinds of woodwork. Having thus fully described my improvement,

What I claim as of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The tongue and groove-joint for joining flooring, wainscoting, 85o., consisting o f the inclined or hookton'gue D formed on one edge of the board, and the corresponding groove O formed in the edge ofthe adjoining board, substantially as shown and described.

' RIOHD. BARTON.

Witnesses:

' W. O. DODGE,

PHIL. T. DODGE.

to form the socket or angle for the point oi. 

